The Things We Are Capable Of
by Angst Is My Middle Name
Summary: "Freddey was frustrated. Did no one try to challenge themselves anymore? Did no one enjoy the thrill of doing something difficult and succeeding? Everyone was so concerned with their careers and education that they refused to anything to challenge themselves for fun." Notes inside. Second in the 'Chaplain's Log' series.


_**Yeah more Freddey! Moving our way through the main characters! Here, Freddey has her first interaction with Spock at the Academy.**_

* * *

Freddey often found herself in the Academy library. It was largely quiet, and she had access to all manner of religious texts from across the Federation, all translated into Standard for easy reading. She did get bored on occasion, though, and she began seeking out such texts in the ancient, dead Terran languages she happened to be fluent in, such as Old Persian, Classical Greek, and Vedic Sanskrit to name a few. These were challenges. These texts pushed her to work harder, to think more critically, to sharpen the brain no one seemed to think she had because she placed her faith in something rooted in the unknowable.

After only a few months, however, Freddey ran out of such texts. No one bothered to translate old, alien religious texts into even older dead languages only a handful of people knew how to read. Freddey was frustrated. Did no one try to challenge themselves anymore? Did no one enjoy the thrill of doing something difficult and succeeding? Everyone was so concerned with their careers and education that they refused to anything to challenge themselves for fun.

So, in only her second semester of her first year at the Academy, she completed a translation of the complete teachings of Surak of Vulcan, known as the Kir'Shara, working from the best Standard translation she had. She actually created two full translations, into Latin and Aramaic, which were her two favorite languages and the ones in which she was most fluent. She told no one what she was doing, and if she was asked, she would have said it was just schoolwork. She uploaded her completed texts to the library, sure that they would never see the light of day again (because who would look for the name 'Winifred A. Mulcahy, Cadet Fourth Class' in the library?) and moved on with her life.

She was understandably confused, therefore, when after her Intro to Federation Philosophies course, an officer approached her, saying, "CDT Mulcahy, LCDR Spock wishes to see you in his office."

Freddey blinked at the lieutenant, some instructor's aide.

"LCDR… Spock?"

"Yes, cadet. Please, follow me."

She did as she was ordered, trailing after the lieutenant. Spock? She didn't know of any Spock. She wasn't even sure of the name's origin… and if she didn't know him, how did he know her? It was an interesting puzzle. LCDR Spock's office was in the Heisenberg-Hawking Sciences Building, the one place Freddey did her best to avoid. The scientists and science students seemed to take a great deal of pleasure from scoffing at her for her faith in a higher power of a supernatural origin (her Great Mother) over science. There was no telling them, of course, that she also harbored a great appreciation for science. She never felt welcome in Heisenberg-Hawking.

The lieutenant led her up to the third floor, down a long corridor, and finally knocked on a door, announcing, "LCDR Spock, I have CDT Mulcahy, sir, as requested."

"Thank you, lieutenant," a calm, deep voice said, "Show the cadet in."

She was not expecting to see a Vulcan in that office. His face was blank, his eyes dark beneath arched brows that matched the swept points of his ears. She had never met a Vulcan before.

"CDT Mulcahy, you may sit if you wish," he said flatly, motioning to the chair in front of his desk.

Freddey mumbled, "Thank you, sir," and took up the chair. She noted that everything in the small room was in perfect order, including the items in his desk. There didn't even seem to be dust in the air.

"You are confused, cadet."

"Yessir. Quite confused, sir."

"Please explain your confusion."

"Well, sir, I don't know why you have summoned me to your office. We've never met. I've never had class with you. In fact, sir, I generally try to avoid this building, not being too proficient in the sciences. I do not understand the purpose of my presence, sir."

"Are you not Winifred A. Mulcahy, Cadet Fourth Class?"

"Yessir. I am, sir."

"And are you not, therefore, the author of the recent translation of the Kir'Shara into the ancient Terran languages of Latin and Aramaic?"

"Yessir. Classical Jewish Aramaic, to be precise."

LCDR Spock's face was inscrutable. Freddey was off-put by not being able to read him. His face was almost entirely emotionless… except for… amusement? Intrigue?

"Why the Kir'Shara, cadet?" he asked, "It is not a popular text for ancient Terrans, even in Standard."

"Oh, I think some of the ancients would have found it very interesting. Lots of those philosophers liked their logic," she explained, "Personally, I found it extremely engrossing. That was why I picked it to translate. Seemed like a good place to start, with something to hold my attention."

"Why conduct such a lengthy translation?"

"I had the time, sir."

That response garnered a raised eyebrow.

"You are proficient in such dead languages."

Freddey couldn't resist. She told him, "Languages only die when they are forgotten or neglected. They represent a slice of history and culture. Language can tell a scholar a great deal about a time and place and people. It's up to such scholars to preserve those languages, to remember them, so that they will never die."

"I am in agreement. In addition to science courses, I am also tasked with teaching some of the Academy's xenolinguistics courses. With this information, I am now curious as to your reasoning for joining the chaplaincy program over xenolinguistics."

"That, sir," she replied with a small smile, "is a conversation I am not sure we have the time for. My reasons are deep and personal, and they may become apparent to you should you read my file, which I presume you have already done or plan to do once I have left."

"I have seen the list of languages you are fluent in. There were eight in all."

"Latin, Classical Jewish Aramaic, Classical Greek, Old Persian, Vedic and Classical Sanskrit, and Classical and Medieval Hebrew. I have minor proficiency in several others."

"I have noted also that they are languages in which many of Earth's most important religious texts were written in. Such fluencies would have been most beneficial to your divinity studies. I have also noted you were ranked among the top of your class at Yale Divinity, in both of your degree programs, undergraduate and graduate, while also maintaining part-time employment. I am intrigued as to why Starfleet had not contacted you sooner, as your record indicates you would make an excellent officer."

They lapsed into a brief and friendly silence. Freddey noted that she had a prime opportunity… and opportunity only knocks once.

"LCDR Spock, sir… you are Vulcan, correct?" she asked, seizing the moment.

"I am," he replied, his face still revealing nothing.

"Well, sir, as a cadet in the chaplaincy program, I find that we have very little instruction in Vulcan philosophies. I mean, the texts are available through the library, but it just isn't the same as being able to have a discussion with someone familiar with such philosophies," she explained carefully, not wanting to offend Spock or seem imprudent, "If it would be amenable to you, sir, I would very much like to have such a discussion with you on Vulcan beliefs and philosophies. After all, you and I could be on the same ship one day, or I could have an assignment on Vulcan. It may also help me tweak my translations to be a bit more accurate."

"Your translations are quite accurate, Cadet."

"You read Latin and Aramaic, sir?"

"I do not, though I have a colleague who is fluent. I asked him to critique your work," Spock told her, "and you will be pleased to note that he found your work to be most satisfactory. He asked if you were a linguistics scholar and surprised to learn that you are a first year cadet."

"I imagine so," she smirked, "though you've shied away from my question, sir."

The silence fell over them again, lasting a few moments before Spock stated, "I will consider your request, CDT Mulcahy. You are free to go."

"Thank you, sir," she replied, rising from the chair and going to the door.

"Fred?"

"Chris? What are you doing here?" she asked.

Pike stood in the doorway with her, saying, "Why do you think? To see Mr. Spock. Why are you here? Spock isn't one of your instructors."

"Oh, he just took an interest in a translation I did of a Vulcan text."

Pike looked to Spock.

"The cadet made a skillful translation of the Teachings of Surak into two ancient Terran languages," Spock stated plainly, as if commenting on the weather, "I was not aware the two of you were acquainted, Captain."

"Oh, CDT Mulcahy and I go way back. I was actually her recruiter, like I was for you, Spock."

Freddey raised her eyebrows at Pike.

"Jeez, Chris, just how many people did you recruit to Starfleet? Are they making you personally fill their quota?"

That made Pike give her a fairly dirty look, one that she recognized as a 'dad' look; it meant he thought she was being rude. She found it pretty funny herself.

"Well, you two seem like you have important things to be getting on with, so I think I'll see myself out. Sirs…"

She offered them a sloppy salute and left, keeping her head down on the way out of Heisenberg-Hawking. The one good thing about the cadet uniforms was that they were all the same. Unlike the BDUs ('battle dress uniform', a holdover from wartime days of yore) that were color coordinated by division, all cadet uniforms were the same in order to promote unity and comradeship, though it didn't always work; she'd been at a disciplinary hearing a couple weeks ago for two cadets who got into a physical fight over an old feud between their cultures. Thankfully, Freddey made it out of Heisenberg-Hawking without incident, heading back to her dorm to study for her Introduction to Xenocultures test and to wait for LCDR Spock to respond to her request.

As per usual, however, she did not study upon returning to her room. Instead, she decided to look up what she could about Spock. She was mildly surprised to find that he was only five years older than her and already a lieutenant commander, though she knew Vulcans were definitely more intellectually advanced than Terrans, learning very early in their lives to put aside emotion for logic. What truly surprised her was the fact that he had apparently turned down admission to the Vulcan Science Academy to join Starfleet. That was unheard of. Even as a scholar of theology, she knew of the VSA's prestige, and it was well known in educated circles that no one turned down admission. It made her wonder why he chose to do so.

Further reading revealed he had doubled in Science and Command, with several commendations from CPT Pike among others in both divisions, though he showed a clear preference for Sciences and a passion for computer programming. He used that skill to program the Command test, the Kobayashi Maru, and also taught Advanced Phonology and Interspecies Ethics, the latter of which she would be taking next year as part of her studies. He also excelled at chess and hand-to-hand combat. Freddey had a deep suspicion Pike was going to ask Spock to join the Enterprise crew when the ship was finally ready.

Spock didn't reply to her request until after finals, sending her a message and asking her to come to his office once more. Freddey was overly pleased by the emptiness of Heisenberg-Hawking's halls, noting how the cadets had cleared out once they weren't required to be there. That was no way to get ahead in life. Anxiety slowly began to claw at her as she approached his office, praying he would agree to teach her.

"LCDR Spock? You wished to meet with me, sir?" she asked, knocking on the door.

He greeted her and asked her to sit, waiting for her to settle in before saying, "I have considered your request, Cadet."

Freddey involuntarily perched in the edge of her seat. She never realized Vulcans liked dramatics.

"The argument you put forth was quite logical for a short term decision. You did not have that request when you entered our first meeting, meaning that you realized an opportunity and seized upon it as quickly as you saw it. This shows that you possess a great deal of both intelligence and foresight. The fact that you took on a lengthy translation of an alien text simply in order to test yourself reveals that you do not fear hard work and actively seek outlets for intellectual exercises. I will admit that upon hearing you had chosen to enter the Chaplaincy program, I did not believe you would possess such qualities, due to my grounding in the Sciences and yours in faith. I am pleased to note that you have surprised me."

"Thank you, sir."

"You are welcome," he replied, "I have also looked into your performance in your academics here at the Academy. Even with your allocation of effort to another project unrelated to coursework, your grades have not suffered. Indeed, you have outperformed your peers and even upperclassmen on all levels. You show a high level of creativity and strong work ethic, as well as high intelligence. None of your peers have leveled any personal or professional complaints against your person nor have any of your instructors. Your choice to work as a chaplain proves you can be trusted with sensitive information, and your work ethic proves you do not take studies or interests lightly.

"Upon compiling and reviewing this information, I have decided to agree to a series of conversations with you on the complexities of Vulcan culture."

Freddey blinked at him for a moment, unable to process this new information.

"I… what? Really? I… I don't what to say, sir…"

"You were not expecting a positive response?"

"To be honest, sir, no. I didn't," she replied, "I know the Vulcan culture is extremely secretive, very protective of their culture and traditions. To give an outworlder information such as I have requested is unheard of. You honor me, LCDR Spock."

"Know that I have not agreed to sharing our culture lightly, and if I at any point deem you are not taking such a study seriously, I will end the agreement without hesitation, understood?"

"Yessir, I do. When may we begin our conversations?"

"Am I correct in my understanding that you will be on campus throughout the summer to take supplementary courses?"

"Yessir, in basic nursing and diplomacy."

"To what purpose?"

"They may be useful. Chaplains have, historically, been part of the medical corps. We bring spiritual comfort to the wounded and dying and can be an asset to a medical team during a time of crisis. After all, not all wounds are physical. As for diplomacy, it may come in handy if I ever find myself acting as an intermediary either on the ship or another planet."

Spock studied her for a moment.

"You are rather fascinating, CDT Mulcahy. Your arguments to me are exceedingly logical, yet your chosen profession is based in the deepest emotions. That is not typical among humans, this penchant for both logic and emotion."

"I do my best to keep people guessing. Makes life more interesting."

"I believe our partnership will be mutually beneficial. What meeting time will be most amenable to you?"

She pondered her summer schedule briefly before offering, "Is Wednesday at 2030 hrs agreeable, sir?"

"It is. I shall schedule our first meeting for the first Wednesday of June. This will give you sufficient time to rest before your summer session."

"Thank you, sir. I look forward to it, sir."

"As do I. You are dismissed. Please attend to your health and relaxation."

Freddey stood and snapped off a crisp salute.

"I'll do my best, sir."

"Of that I am sure."

Truth be told, it felt pretty damn good to have earned such trust and respect from a Vulcan, as those were not things they gave away easily or freely. She tried not to look too smug as she left Heisenberg-Hawking. She didn't succeed.

_If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. ~Thomas Alva Edison_


End file.
